
06/26/2023
MEDIA CONTACT:
Casey Langan, Sand County Foundation
608.295.6001, [email protected]
Website link
Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award Seeks Nominees
Are you a Pennsylvania farmer or forestland owner improving soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on your working land? You can now apply or nominate for the 2023 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award®.
Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust, present the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 25 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In Pennsylvania, the $10,000 award is presented with state partners: The Heinz Endowments, Horizon Farm Credit, and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.
Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water, and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.
Nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The application can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.
The application deadline date is August 1, 2023. Applications must be emailed to [email protected].
Applications are reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders from Pennsylvania.
“Farmers are always looking for ways to save their resources and to utilize technology so that the next generation has a place,” said Chris Hoffman, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President. “We want to celebrate those who use technology and have farming practices that preserve our natural resources. We want to encourage Pennsylvania farmers to showcase their dedication to stewardship and innovative approaches to conservation by applying for the 2023 Leopold Conservation Award.”
“Pennsylvania farmers not only feed our families and our economy, they pour their lives and livelihoods into improving our soil and water for future generations,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “The Leopold Conservation Award recognizes farmers who stand out among their peers as excellent stewards of soil and water resources.”
“Caring for the land they work and the waterways that nourish it are central to our farmers’ values, way of life and their livelihood. It’s important that we acknowledge those who voluntarily pursue conservation and employ sustainable practices, recognizing both the immediate benefits and those that will be realized by generations to come,” said Tom Truitt, CEO of Horizon Farm Credit. “We’re thankful for the exceptional work being done by farmers across Pennsylvania to protect our natural resources.”
“As a national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of farmers, ranchers and forestland owners,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that conservation in agriculture requires a focus on the land, the practices and the people and this award recognizes the integral role of all three.”
“Recipients of this award are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today. Their dedication to conservation shows how individuals can improve the health of the land while producing food and fiber,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO.
The Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the generous support from American Farmland Trust, The Heinz Endowments, Horizon Farm Credit, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Sand County Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, EDPR NA Distributed Generation, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, and The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s 2022 Leopold Conservation Award was presented to Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm of Hellam in York County.
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LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD PROGRAM
The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents the award in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). www.leopoldconservationaward.org
AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through its No Farms, No Food message. Since its founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families. www.farmland.org
HORIZON FARM CREDIT is an agricultural lending cooperative, part of the national Farm Credit System, owned by its member-borrowers. The Association has more than 22,900 members and over $5.9 billion in loans outstanding. Horizon Farm Credit serves Delaware, Pennsylvania, and parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia by providing farm loans for land, equipment, livestock and production; crop insurance; and rural home mortgages. Learn more at www.horizonfc.com
PENNSYLVANIA FARM BUREAU
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is the state’s largest farm organization, representing farms of every size and commodity across Pennsylvania. www.pfb.com
SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
Sand County Foundation inspires and empowers a growing number of private landowners to ethically manage natural resources in their care, so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. www.sandcountyfoundation.org
THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS
The Heinz Endowments is devoted to the mission of helping our region prosper as a vibrant center of creativity, learning, and social, economic and environmental sustainability. Core to our work is the vision of a just community where all are included and where everyone who calls southwestern Pennsylvania home has a real and meaningful opportunity to thrive. http://www.heinz.org/
The Endowments’ mission is to help our region become a just and equitable community where all can thrive and to advance knowledge and practice in philanthropy.